Is Brock black?

[Bacl]

I'd like to start by saying that I don't want this post to offensive or racial, and that I hope people can be adult about this topic.

Ever since I started watching Pokemon I've always wondered if Brock is supposed to be black. Of course, back then I didn't know that it was imported from Japan, or any of the other in depth details about the show. I just knew I liked the show. So naturally (being American) I assumed Brock was black. But since I now know the show is from Japan, it seems unlikely (but then again, what the heck do I know) that they would intend for Brock to be of a different ethnic group then the other characters. However, Pokemon does have a world market and so maybe they did...see my confusion? Regardless, it is quite evident that Brock has darker skin then Ash, Misty, and quite frankly all the other people we see in the Pokemon world.

Are there different ethnic groups in Japan, some with dark skin? If so, then a character with darker skin is just as natural in Japan as it is in America. I'm afraid I'm pretty ignorant about the world around me.

Although it could be as simple as he's simply shaded darker cause he looks better that way. Considering some characters have blue and green hair it could simply be a case of aesthetic coloring.

But I like the idea of brock being either "black" or "of a different ethnic group" from the rest of the cast. It adds a nice touch of diversity. Cartoons are often very homogenous, and i find it despressing when I see a cartoon that have years and years worth of episodes, hundreds and hundreds of people met, and all of them are the same race.

Just some thoughts.

[Rei_Zero]

Ya, there are dark japanese. They are called TANNED.

[The Rusted One]

I don't think he's supposed to be Black, but perhaps a charicature of a Japanese person. I mean, every single person in Pokémon is supposed to be Caucasian, or at least that's what we've seen so far - exept Brock and his family. If you look at other Animé, and there are Negro characters, the lips tend to be highly accentuated, and the skin darker than the tone Brock's is. Brock, on the other hand, appears to be tanned - or, perhaps, he is coloured differently because the animators wished to show he wasn't White. His face is basically that of the other Caucasian characters, apart from his eyes, which appear to never open; or, perhaps, are thinner, as Mongoloid eyes tend to be. If he was Negro, it'd be more accentuated, I think, than it is now.

Basically, I think he's supposed to be Asian.

[Rei_Zero]

Actually, I'm pretty sure Ash is asian.

[Hanada Tattsu]

Well, I believe that mostly all the characters on the show are Asian, but you do have a point in your topic.

Just like in every other race, there are light and dark Japanese. Misty and Ash represent the lighter Japanese with lighter features, and Brock and a few others represent the darker Japanese.

I don't think Brock is black, since he doesn't look as dark, but I think that he just has really dark features. I agree, I wish we had an African character on the show once in a while.

[Rei_Zero]

Misty's caucasian, unless your telling me she dies her hair a reddish color(pretty likely now) or she wears blue contacts(I doubt it).

[Bacl]

Originally posted by Rei_Zero
Misty's caucasian, unless your telling me she dies her hair a reddish color(pretty likely now) or she wears blue contacts(I doubt it).

That's an interesting point. Lots of the characters have different colored eyes and different colored hair. I believe James has green eyes.

But if Misty's re dhair makes her caucasian, then what is does James's blue hair make him? ;)

[Rei_Zero]

What about the eyes? All the eye colors are either blue, green, or brown. Blue/green will be caucasian and brown will be asian/other race. Which reminds me, what if Brock's Indian XP. LOL

[pokehimon]

Brock did say he liked being at the beach, preferably with girls. :D So mabey he's just got a tan. I don't know.

[The Rusted One]

Misty's eyes are green - but I wouldn't say that ALL people with dark eyes are supposed to be Asian; I'm Caucasian, and have dark, dark brown eyes (and red hair) - so you can't say that all Caucasian characters have blue or green eyes, and brown eyes are reserved for Asian characters.

Also, with the variety in hair colours and eye colours, etc., that you get with lighter skinned people, it is easier to see that Misty, James, and Jessie are probably intended to be Caucasian. Ash's mother, therefore, likely follows the same path - and, remembering that not all people with dark hair are Asian, then it doesn't seem likely that Ash is Asian. He could be half Asian, perhaps, it is true.

Brock's ethnicity is still in question though - he seems, to me at least, to be either Asian, or, as has been suggested, perhaps Indian. I don't think he's Caucasian; I think it's him that would be the best bet for Asian, rather than the others, though.

[BenRG]

In the spirit of open discussion... :P

Firstly, I would say that Ash, Brock, Delia Ketchum and Gary Oak are all probably ment to be Japanese. It is simply a characteristic of the animé/manga style to give characters large eyes. That aside, however, Brock is clearly a caractature of the oriental race. There are as many variations in eye size in Japan as there are in other places, so Brock is just a guy with especially narrow eyes.

However, Misty and her sisters are probably meant to be European (it is an odd quirk of Japanese culture that makes an ideal out of the specific 'European' look over their own). Given her blue-green eyes and ginger hair (and the fact that two of her sisters are a blonde and a redhead) I would say that her family might even be Irish/Gaelic by descent. :D Based on that principle, I would assume that May is also European (possibly Slavic or Flemish).

[Rei_Zero]

I'm going by higher chance here. Chances are much higher for Ash to be asian than caucasian (in my experience) because most caucasians have blue/green eyes, but all asians are brown eyed. As for the hair color, I'm chinese and my hair is naturally brown-black with some strands being reddish brown.

EDIT:I'm using myself to point out the possible diversity of asians...)

[Hitori]

Actually, I do not think that Pokemon characters have a particular race. Yeah, so, some characters might be wearing traditional Japanese clothing, but maybe it's because the Pokemon worlds are just based on Japanese culture, not race. There was also one time when there was a girl in Chinese clothing and a guy in a cowboy suit, but I think that the world of Pokemon is just make-believe and is just multicultural. The characters have different skin color-dark and light-but that is all. And if you're wondering, there are Japanese people with tanned skin, too. Also, Brock is not the only one in Pokemon with darker skin.

I forgot to add something. To your question: Yes, there's different ethnic groups in Japan, but the majority is the stereotyped Japanese person, which is: Light skinned (some males have darker skin) and have black hair, and are anciently from Mongolia and some are mixed with some Chinese/Korean and some mixed with Ainu.

[Hanada Tattsu]

Well, some of your statements are stereotypes. There are light skinned Asians with light features that match those of Ash, Gary, Misty, and her sisters, and also dark skinned ones, like Brock and Prof. Oak.

[Hitori]

Ermm, who?

[Hanada Tattsu]

Originally posted by Hitori
Ermm, who?

Dude, read the post. A lot of people are saying that just cause Misty has light features she has to be European. Ermm, why?

[Hitori]

Ah, then maybe you should quote the person you're talking to. I was confused since you used the word "you" in your post directly after mine. :)

[Hanada Tattsu]

Originally posted by Hitori
Ah, then maybe you should quote the person you're talking to. I was confused since you used the word "you" in your post directly after mine. :)

Oh, sorry. I'm sorry for sounding rude, nothing personal. :)

Misty does look Japanese though, there are red-haired Japanese.

[Ultimate Charizard]

Originally posted by Hanada Tattsu
Oh, sorry. I'm sorry for sounding rude, nothing personal. :)

Misty does look Japanese though, there are red-haired Japanese.

Since when does any race have naturally Green or Blue hair.

You cant take appearance as any indication of race in anime. Unless its wanted to be blatantly obvious.

Most of the people you may take for your average western/caucasion hero are probably intended to be Japanese.

The only way you can tell is if theres some mention or sterotypical sign (Asuka swearing in German in Neon Genesis for example)

[Hanada Tattsu]

Originally posted by Ultimate Charizard
Since when does any race have naturally Green or Blue hair.

You cant take appearance as any indication of race in anime. Unless its wanted to be blatantly obvious.

Most of the people you may take for your average western/caucasion hero are probably intended to be Japanese.

The only way you can tell is if theres some mention or sterotypical sign (Asuka swearing in German in Neon Genesis for example)

I get your point, but I still think that Misty was meant to be Japanese. As for a race having green or blue hair, this is the anime world, not the real world.

Abitger way to see where someone is from is if there is backstory involved. For example, if Mary Poppins and Bedknobs and Broomsticks take place in England, then it is easy to presume that the characters are British.

[Rei_Zero]

How do you explain blue eyes than?
Like I have already stated, there are asians with reddish hair, but there are no asians with blue eyes. That is what makes everyone sure Misty is Caucasian. And in the pokemon world, all well known cultures exist, so it is hard to tell from background. The best you can say is that he's a Kanto guy or a Johto guy and even then you can't be certain, as people move across all over the different continents.

[Hanada Tattsu]

Originally posted by Rei_Zero
How do you explain blue eyes than?
Like I have already stated, there are asians with reddish hair, but there are no asians with blue eyes. That is what makes everyone sure Misty is Caucasian. And in the pokemon world, all well known cultures exist, so it is hard to tell from background. The best you can say is that he's a Kanto guy or a Johto guy and even then you can't be certain, as people move across all over the different continents.

No, there has got to be at least one Asian in the world with blue eyes. Plus, maybe Misty's mom was Caucasian and Misty's dad was Asian or vice-versa.

[Rei_Zero]

Nope. Genetically, Asians only have the genes needed for brown eyes. Saying Misty is a mix (like Asuka) is another story.

[Ultimate Charizard]

Since when was Asuka mixed?

I never heard that part. I thought she was just german.

The point i was trying to make is that Blue/Green hair doesnt occur on any race in real life so why cant an Asian girl have Blue eyes if the artist so desires?

[Rei_Zero]

If they wanted to make her asian then they, in my mind, would automatically have made her brown eyed, as in the case of most Anime. It doesn't really matter though, since in the pokemon world you don't really have groups like Azn Pride. Everyone is integrated into the world as people, not races. As for Asuka, it is mentioned somewhere, (forgot where), that she is 3/4 German and 1/4 Japanese, or something like that.

[Bacl]

Originally posted by Rei_Zero
If they wanted to make her asian then they, in my mind, would automatically have made her brown eyed, as in the case of most Anime. It doesn't really matter though, since in the pokemon world you don't really have groups like Azn Pride. Everyone is integrated into the world as people, not races. As for Asuka, it is mentioned somewhere, (forgot where), that she is 3/4 German and 1/4 Japanese, or something like that.

Well, there is always hair dye and contact lenses. Not at all far fetched, such things are common nowadays.

A weird thing about Brock is that his skin tone has changed colors in different forms. While the anime has been pretty consistent. I have seen Brock depicted in all the thousands of Pokemon merchandise that was out during the height of Pokemon. In some illustrations he was exactly the same shade as Ash and Misty. I can't help but think this is idiot American mentality of "white-washing" everything. God forbid a toy for five year olds has black skin. :rolleyes:

It may not be as sinister as that. It could simply be ignorance on the part of the manufacturers. Except then that ignorance reflects just as poorly as the prior. "Well of course the character has white skin. Why wouldn't he?" :rolleyes:

EDIT: One final thought occurs. Brock originally, before ANYTHING else, appeared in the Pokemon game as a gym leader. I just flipped on my Pokemon Red, started a new game and ran up to Pewter to have a second look at brock. Sure enough, the character does have a darker complexion (mind you this is OLD gameboy graphics). However if you check out the redesign of Brock in Pokemon G/S, he is as white skinned as all the other Trainers. Not quite the anime, but the games are where Brock and Misty came from.

[Rei_Zero]

I hardly believe Misty would be wearing contacts and dying hair (although she might not need to), because then that would mean her sisters do that too, unless she's adopted:D
Or even better, wearing contacts is why the sisters like water pokemon:D
Ok. That was lame....

[Hanada Tattsu]

Brian, if I remember correctly, the Japanese versions of the G/S/C have Brock the same, dark complection as G/R/B/Y, I may be wrong, but I think NOA changed Brock's skin color to white in the American versions of the game.

[Bacl]

http://www.angelfire.com/alt/bacl/GSC_Leader_Brock.jpg
Here is an example of what I mean by the American merchandise "white-washing" Brock. Take a look at this Japanese image (by the way, THOSE ARE NOT DONUTS) : http://www.angelfire.com/alt/bacl/brockcardonigiri.jpg

And then compare it to this American merchandise: http://www.angelfire.com/alt/bacl/ejibrockdoll.jpg

Puh-lease. :rolleyes:

[Pidgeot018]

How is a slighty lighter tone on a toy considered "white-washing?" It's not like it's as white as a snow.

[The Rusted One]

If Misty was to be wearing contacts and has died her hair, wouldn't something like that be brought up in the animé? If she was supposed to be Asian, and she had totally changed the way she looked, and the story supported this, then it would also be an important element in the story itself. You don't make up a character specifically with an Asian background, but with no Asian features in a cartoon like that if you aren't going to incorporate it into the animé.

[Hanada Tattsu]

LOL, is Brock flexing in that toy? Cause if they wanted to make him "strong" they would have at least made him topless or something , LOL.

Is the Japanese merchandise a box for onigiri?

[Bacl]

Originally posted by Hanada Tattsu

Is the Japanese merchandise a box for onigiri?


Yes, I believe it is. I'm not 100% sure because I found it on the internet, but it was listed as being off an onigiri box.

[Hanada Tattsu]

Originally posted by Bacl
Yes, I believe it is. I'm not 100% sure because I found it on the internet, but it was listed as being off an onigiri box.

Thanks!

The Japanese are so creative; onigiri is good, LOL.

Who's tried onigiri? I love it!

[Sunkern336]

Just 1 question after talking about Ash & co. and Team Rocket's races. What is May's race? Can anyone out there provide me with a answer?

[Hanada Tattsu]

Originally posted by Sunkern336
Just 1 question after talking about Ash & co. and Team Rocket's races. What is May's race? Can anyone out there provide me with a answer?

Both May and Masato look half-Japanese and half-Caucasian. Masato looks very Japanese, as does his father, Norman. Mitsuko, their mother, looks Japanese, but she also looks Caucasian, like May. But they both have darker features than Misty, so I'd say they're Asian.

[Rei_Zero]

Again, not with blue eyes they're not.

[Hanada Tattsu]

Originally posted by Rei_Zero
Again, not with blue eyes they're not.

Doesn't May have brown or black eyes?

I always thought she did. I know Masato has hazel eyes, and I thought May had the same.

[Rei_Zero]

Nope. They're blue...

[Hanada Tattsu]

Originally posted by Rei_Zero
Nope. They're blue...

I just checked. May has blue eyes, but Masato has hazel eyes. I'm almost positive.

[Rei_Zero]

Ya, so maybe Masato has that uncommon caucasian gene with brown eyes, or maybe they have someone who was asian in their family, that passed on the trait to Masato.
BTW can you check Senri and his wife to see what color they have?

[Hanada Tattsu]

Originally posted by Rei_Zero
Ya, so maybe Masato has that uncommon caucasian gene with brown eyes, or maybe they have someone who was asian in their family, that passed on the trait to Masato.
BTW can you check Senri and his wife to see what color they have?

Senri has black eyes, and last time I checked I think that Mitsuko had brownish-hazel eyes, like Masato's. She might have blue, I'm not sure. But I know that Senri had black.

[Bacl]

Originally posted by Hanada Tattsu
Who's tried onigiri? I love it!

Curiosity got the better of me and I finally found a recipe for onigiri and made a batch last night. MMMMmmmmm...I love it! No wonder Brock makes it all the time! It's great!

[Hanada Tattsu]

Originally posted by Bacl
Curiosity got the better of me and I finally found a recipe for onigiri and made a batch last night. MMMMmmmmm...I love it! No wonder Brock makes it all the time! It's great!

I know, people think its yucky, but it's really very tasty and unique! *eats more onigiri* :D

[Misty]

Brock is almost certainly a darker japanese...

Ash is probably a half-japanese half-european thing. His mother looks fairly european, but we don't know anything about his dad(and PLEASE don't talk about that kthx)

Misty... she has sort of the white-skinned red-haired Irish thing. She may be an immigrant or descendant of one or something.

In my opinion, that makes sense from the sectionalized audience appeal standpoint... You have the dark Brock, the light Ash, and the european Misty...

Eye color doesn't mean anything in anime. In a place where you can have blue hair and have it be fairly normal, I wouldn't look to eye color to define race. :P

[Hanada Tattsu]

Guys, you seem to think that Pokemon takes place in Japan, in Kyoto, Tokyo, Osaka...

Well, it doesn't. The anime takes place in either Kanto, the Orange Islands, Johto, the Whirl Islands, Hoenn, and any where else in the Pokemon continent. Now, real places have been mentioned, like James, in the dub, saying that Koga's gym looked like a Japanese restaurant, or the whole Hollywood issue in the Lights, Camera, Quacktion - Go West Young Meowth thingie.

However, just letting you guys know that even though the show is made and animated in Japan, the show does not take place in any real continent, it takes place in a land of its own.

[Misty]

Originally posted by Hanada Tattsu
Guys, you seem to think that Pokemon takes place in Japan, in Kyoto, Tokyo, Osaka...

Well, it doesn't. The anime takes place in either Kanto, the Orange Islands, Johto, the Whirl Islands, Hoenn, and any where else in the Pokemon continent. Now, real places have been mentioned, like James, in the dub, saying that Koga's gym looked like a Japanese restaurant, or the whole Hollywood issue in the Lights, Camera, Quacktion - Go West Young Meowth thingie.

However, just letting you guys know that even though the show is made and animated in Japan, the show does not take place in any real continent, it takes place in a land of its own.

If that's the case, why are we even bothering with this discussion? Let's just say they're all Kantonese(bad pun) and end this. :P

[The Rusted One]

Who's to say, then, that they aren't all the same race? I mean, big deal, they look different - but that may just be the tendencies of their particular race, whatever that may be. I mean, I'm part Italian, and the only think that you'd know that by is my dark brown eyes - and even that's a bit of a stretch. In fact, my red hair makes people think that I'm almost straight out of Ireland, Scotland, or some place in Europe where Celtic people still abound.

[Hanada Tattsu]

Well, I mean there are different kinds of people in any race. The only thing I can see is that there are no Asians (full-Asians, not Asians who have white parents) then they all have brown or black eyes.

[Sunkern336]

Anyway, people who have one of their parents coming from Asia and the other coming from Europe are called Eurasians, if you had wanted to know.

[Hanada Tattsu]

Originally posted by Sunkern336
Anyway, people who have one of their parents coming from Asia and the other coming from Europe are called Eurasians, if you had wanted to know.

Yeah, in fact, people are debating wether to call the continents of Europe and Asia Eurasia. It's been a controversy for quite some time now.

[BenRG]

Originally posted by Hanada Tattsu
Guys, you seem to think that Pokemon takes place in Japan, in Kyoto, Tokyo, Osaka...

Well, it doesn't. The anime takes place in either Kanto, the Orange Islands, Johto, the Whirl Islands, Hoenn, and any where else in the Pokemon continent.Yes, thanks, I knew that. :rolleyes: The question is, however, where did the people come from?

If, as I suspect, Pokémon takes place on an isolated set of island continents (a bit like Australia or Antarctica), then the people must have come from overseas somewhere. From the differing styles of archetecture (Ecruteak City is really Japanese, while Goldenrod is more like a city in America), it is obvious that the Pokémon Islands have been the target of several different 'waves' of colonisation. While there are clearly ethnic orientals (mainly Japanese), we also see ethnic European races (like Misty's family - probably Gaelic).

Although the Pokémon world is fictional, the various mentions of real places indicates that it is part of a world basically similar to ours, with all the same nations. So it is relevant to ask what ethnic or racial group the various characters come from. 8)

[Hanada Tattsu]

Yeah, I guess the Pokemon World is like its own continent, that sounds just about right.

Brock's family probably came from Japan, Misty's and May's families came from Ireland or Northern Ireland, and Ash came from... where did Ash come from? ^^;;

Well, I guess he comes from somewhere in Europe, maybe Italy or Austria. Ash looks kinda Hungarian or Romanian. :o

[Misty]

Although I'm pretty sure Misty is European, I don't know about Ash. He's got a definite tan, and his mom is pale white... His dad must have had a fairly medium dark skin...

[Rei_Zero]

You can get a tan from the sun and your parents can still be snow white. Also, Ash's mom is probably Asian, as she has brown hair and brown eyes.

[Hanada Tattsu]

What race is Giovanni? He looks half-European and half- Asian. Or you could say Eurasian. :D

[Bacl]

Originally posted by Hanada Tattsu
What race is Giovanni? He looks half-European and half- Asian. Or you could say Eurasian. :D

Isn't Giovanni and Italian name? Talk about stereotypes. :rolleyes:

[Toon Dragon]

Originally posted by BenRG
There are as many variations in eye size in Japan as there are in other places, so Brock is just a guy with especially narrow eyes.

I believe it's a pun. See, the Japanese believe large eyes represent innosence (which is why young animé characters have huge eyes.) So, if Brock/Takeshi has small eyes, that must make him not so innocent :D.

[Hanada Tattsu]

Yeah, there is maybe a dark side to Brock. :D

As for Giovanni, the dubbers gave him a name because of the fact that he is the mastermind of an evil organization, so 4Kids took this into consideration. Giovanni is usually (through stereotypation) an Italian name of a godfather in the mafia.

You solve it.

[The Rusted One]

The name would also have been chosen because of the "Geo", as in, "earth", connection - him being the Gym Leader to give you the Earth Badge and all. However, I still do believe he is supposed to be the typical Italian, wealthy, educated gang lord.
I've always assumed he was Italian.

Now, Misty and May don't have to be Irish, or anything like that - to me, however, they are clearly European. I say that Misty may not be Irish because you do get red-haired, pale skinned people in all European countries - in fact, she could just as easily be Russian. Odds are she isn't Mediterranean, but the possibility is there; any European race could be the root of her ancestry, really; perhaps the main reason she was given red hair, etc., was to clash a little with the blue/green qualities of water. I mean, most gym leaders have attributes that reflect the element they train - Misty has nothing, aside from her name.

[Hanada Tattsu]

Well, what about May? May kinda looks like a Russian to me, the daughter of the Tsar Nicholas the II? Well, kinda, you gotta admit.

[BenRG]

I would say that Ash is probably meant to be Japanese or possibly Japanese/American. It would fit in with the target audiences of the animé. :P It also is suggested by his overall 'look', which seems oriental to me.

May might be European. Either way, she is almost certainly caucasian in origin. Maybe 'white' (European) Russian?

[Hanada Tattsu]

Well, Russians have brown/yellow hair, and usually blue eyes, kinda like Germans. So May does fit that category.

[Kairu_Hakubi]

takeshi (brock) is a ganguro. there's lots of them in anime, and they often have white-blonde hair for effect. it doesnt mean theyre any particular race (though perhaps they're supposed to resemble the ainu) it's just how it happens.

other famous ganguro are Ed from bebop, Kaollasu from Love Hina, and mimiru from .hack

[Bacl]

Originally posted by Kairu_Hakubi
takeshi (brock) is a ganguro. there's lots of them in anime, and they often have white-blonde hair for effect. it doesnt mean theyre any particular race (though perhaps they're supposed to resemble the ainu) it's just how it happens.

other famous ganguro are Ed from bebop, Kaollasu from Love Hina, and mimiru from .hack

What exactly does ganguro mean?

[Dragon_Claw]

she's not russian. I think she's just the average europian. Maybe Dutch, heh!

[Hanada Tattsu]

Dutch? Hmm, maybe, or Belgian? She looks Scandinavian actually, she looks either Finnish or Norwegian, not Danish or Swedish, the Danes and the Swedes have more nordic appearences.

And what is ganguro? Please explain these things.

[Girafarig]

Well, in Northen Japan, there is a race of people called the Ainu which are related to the Aboriginies of Australia. They have darker skin and hair, so Brock might be one of those.

[Bacl]

Originally posted by Girafarig
Well, in Northen Japan, there is a race of people called the Ainu which are related to the Aboriginies of Australia. They have darker skin and hair, so Brock might be one of those.

That's really interesting. I've never heard of Ainu before. I looked them up in my encyclopedia and this is what it had:

Ainu, pronounced EYE noo, are a group of people who may have been the first inhabitants of what is now Japan. There are about 15,000 Ainu. Most of the Ainu live on Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost main island. Until the mid-1900's, some Ainu also lived on Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands. Sakhalin is a part of Russia. Russia claims and occupies all the Kurils, but Japan claims the southernmost ones.

Scientists are uncertain about the ancestry of the Ainu. Some anthropologists think the Ainu are related to European peoples. Other anthropologists believe they are related to Asian peoples or Australian Aborigines, the original inhabitants of Australia. The Ainu language has not been clearly classified.

Through the centuries, many Ainu have intermarried with the Japanese and other neighboring peoples. The village was once the basic unit of Ainu society. Each village was headed by a leader and consisted of 5 to 30 one-room houses. Hunting, fishing, and gathering plants provided food for the community. The Ainu practiced a complicated set of religious ceremonies.

The Ainu have long been victims of discrimination. However, they have started a movement to achieve fair treatment in Japan. The Japanese government has begun a program of economic aid for the Ainu.

[Hanada Tattsu]

Yes, from what I remember of my history lessons the Ainu were the first tribe to set foot in one of the four islands of Japan, I think it was Hokkaido.

Also, let me give you guys a brief history of Sakhalin. In 1904, during the Russo-Japanese war, the Japanese defeated soundly Tsar Nicholas the II's (remember this from my fic ^^) Russian armies, and the Japanese took complete control of the island. Now, following the 1917 Russian revolution when Vladimir Lenin overthrew the tsar and took control of Russia, he and Japan signed a treaty of some sort to divide the island of Sakhalin, half to Russia, and the southern part to Japan. In recent events, after communism was abolished in Russia, the island was taken by Russia, under supervision by the Japanese.

[Bacl]

Well, in American television nowadays, most shows try and represent our cultural diversity by having characters of different ethnic groups. Maybe in Japan they do a similar thing, and Brock is meant to be Ainu.

I wish we could ask the actual makers of the show this question. I'd be interested if they said, "Well, we always thought of Takeshi as Ainu. It doesn't have anything to do with the show, but when we conceptualized and designed the characters we thought of him as such." or "Not at all. That's just the way he was drawn. When we create characters we try out different skin tones and hair colors to see what looks right. That's all ther eis to it."

[The Rusted One]

I have trouble believing Brock to be Ainu; I mean, the Ainu are basically isolated to Hokkaido, by choice. They don't, I think, really venture anywhere apart from there, as their culture, etc., is found nowhere else in Japan.

However, he could be Okinawan, as the people there are very closely related to the Ainu (the theory goes that as the modern Japanese people entered Japan, they pushed the Ainu away from the middle and out towards the ends of Japan, and in Hokkaido, they largely remained separate due to a lack of want to move to Hokkaido, but in Okinawa, a far more attractive place, they intermixed freely) - so if he was to be Ainu, or descended from any Ainu people, I'd say he was from there (or somewhere similar in terms of Pokémon world geography.

[Hanada Tattsu]

Hmm, well I think in recent years the Ainu have moved south to Kyushu, and to places like Tokyo, Kyoto, and Nagoya. Of course, the city of Osaka is very unique in terms of diversity, because it has a very high percentile of South Koreans.

[Mikey]

I believe Brock just has a tan. Japanese peope really never include "blacks" in their games. No offense, but that's how it is. There isn't many in Japan, so most of their people are just normal everyday caucasians.

[Bacl]

Originally posted by GoldenNoctowl77
There isn't many in Japan, so most of their people are just normal everyday caucasians.

I think you mean asians, not caucasians.

[Hanada Tattsu]

I think he meant white people, but Asians aren't really White, they're just, 'Asian'.

[Mayamyu]

When it comes to races in anime, I think most characters are Asian, but not necessarily with Asian features. A good example of this is Sailor Moon, in which most of the characters come from Japan, and yet have any hair/eye color the creator wished. The main character is blonde with blue eyes! All in all, I think Ash is asian, Misty is Caucasian, and Brock.....
Brock has a tan. That's just my opinion, though.

BTW, occasionly there are Black people in anime, but they look a bit more um, 'stereotypical'.

[Mikey]

No, I meant caucasian. (another term for white) I don't believe the creators really make them asian. They just draw a person, not really meaning to make it white, black, or asian. They let the viewers think of them as they want.

[Dr_Omicron]

Well, Borck has slits for eyes, which, at least from what I hear, is how the japanese draw people from other parts of Asia. (There are also times when the people have 3's for eyes for some reason, such as Nobita without his glasses from Doraemon and 006 from Cyborg 009.) Due to his skin color, since it's a pretty yellowish tan, though not dark enough to be considered brown, I would have to guess that he either hails from Southeast Asia, the Philippines, or Indonesia/its surrounding islands.

But that's only my guess. For all we know, he could be Egyptian, which means he IS black.

[Rei_Zero]

Or Middle-Eastern. Just because he's got a tan and he's asian wouldn't mean he's a South Eastern. I know some people who are really tanned but are Chinese.

[The Rusted One]

Originally posted by Dr_Omicron
But that's only my guess. For all we know, he could be Egyptian, which means he IS black.

No, it would actually mean that he'd be Middle-Eastern/Mediterranean, and be of the same stock as the people of the Mediterranean themselves; that would make him very closely related to Caucasians, but not the European Caucasian we normally think of.

[Hanada Tattsu]

Yes, but Brock does indeed look Greek, or some other country in the Balkans, like Albania or Bulgaria; well, maybe not Bulgaria, but he does look Albanian.

[Sunkern336]

Maybe Brock is an African, or of its origins. Many Africans are Black, except for a minority of the African population.
But if Brock is an African, or of African origin, which part of Africa would he have come from?

[Sunkern336]

Another suggestion: Brock is an Indian (In this case, Indians, as in India, and not the Red Indians). The skin colour of many Indians is Black, leading me to this conclusion.
In several Indian movies (My sis looooves watching them, even we're from a Chinese family), I saw several characters which have the same skin colour as Brock! 8)

[Gnight]

i think brock has black in him. i mean, look at his hair.

[Animelee]

Originally posted by Sunkern336
Another suggestion: Brock is an Indian (In this case, Indians, as in India, and not the Red Indians). The skin colour of many Indians is Black, leading me to this conclusion.
In several Indian movies (My sis looooves watching them, even we're from a Chinese family), I saw several characters which have the same skin colour as Brock! 8)

I am a decendant of India-Indians, and, I guess I could see where you're going. Though, I would say that Brock is more of an Osakan-Japanese, since they live and work in the sun, their skin tends to be darker, and their eye openings tend to be a bit smaller than, say, a Tokyan-Japanese.

[homeofmew]

Ash: Asian
Brock Asian
Misty: White
Gary: white

I don't think there are
Blacks or Hispanics in Pokemon.
Please it not supposed to be offensive
In Japan it is mostly Asians and some White people :O!

[Dark Scizor]

Originally posted by Rei_Zero
I'm chinese and my hair is naturally brown-black with some strands being reddish brown.

EDIT:I'm using myself to point out the possible diversity of asians...)

i'm chinese and I have jet black hair, hardly ever see chinese people with reddish hair nowadays lol

But i would guess that brock stays out in the sun too much, hence the smaller peepers and a darker skin tone :rolleyes:

[Azure Pathos-Sketchit]

I can't help but wonder about the case of Tracey. (As if you didn't see that coming... :P ) It seems the animators didn't give him any eye color, but I assume they're brown. Seeing as he reigns from a tropical region, what ethnicity shall we assume he is? Do we still consider him Asian, Japanese, Caucasian, or etc.?

Just curious. :)

[Bacl]

Originally posted by Azure Pathos-Sketchit
I can't help but wonder about the case of Tracey. (As if you didn't see that coming... :P ) It seems the animators didn't give him any eye color, but I assume they're brown. Seeing as he reigns from a tropical region, what ethnicity shall we assume he is? Do we still consider him Asian, Japanese, Caucasian, or etc.?

Just curious. :)

Tracey was created because American test groups voiced confusion over Brock's eyes. Because Pokemon had not yet come to the U.S., and the U.S. is a BIG market, a new character was conceived to take Brock's place.

That's right. Tracey was conceived with the U.S. in mind. That means that his very appearance was created with the intention of pleasing U.S. audiences, or in other words, creating a U.S. character.

If he's Asian, then he's Asian-American. Tracey may have been drawn in Japan, but he was born in the U.S.A.

[Mayamyu]

Don't know if this was already mentioned, but it just came to mind: Didn't Lt. Surge say he was American? I know for sure that he served in the army, and either that doesn't make sense. They had a war in the pokemon world?

[so fly supersky]

I'd say anime characters are a race of their own and Brock is one of the darker skinned ones. Either that or while Ash & Misty are busy playing around in the shade he's busy taking care of the 'mon in the sun. Lazy twerps.


And in reference to an earlier post, yeah it's mostly Japanese and a few white people in the land of Nippon but Bob Sapp is so huge he counts as twenty African guys in Japan. That's something.

[Animelee]

Haha, Bob Sapp. That guy is probably one of the coolest people I've seen in a while. The expressions on his face sometimes are just golden.

In my opinion, Tracey seems to be from Hawaii, since he has a laid-back persona, and he wears green and pink, which are colours usually associated with Hawaiian-type shirts. So, what nationality are the people from Hawaii? I think they're a mix of Asian and Aboriginal, right?

[Bacl]

Originally posted by Animelee
In my opinion, Tracey seems to be from Hawaii, since he has a laid-back persona, and he wears green and pink, which are colours usually associated with Hawaiian-type shirts. So, what nationality are the people from Hawaii? I think they're a mix of Asian and Aboriginal, right?

Are you ready for this? The nationality of people from Hawaii is...Hawaiian. :) It's true!

You know what's funny? I always thought of Tracey as Hawaiian, except I never really thought about it. It just seemed to fit him, but I don't know why.

Oh wait. Swear to God the reason just came to me as I was typing that. It's cause he's from the Orange Islands! Sp'luh.

[The Rusted One]

Wouldn't people in Hawaii count as Polynesian (the original inhabitants, I mean)? Regardless, Tracey is supposed to come from an island, rather than a mainland, so any Westernised island in the Pacific would be the best comparison, I think...

[Animelee]

I'm one to always be studying the origins of people, and such, but I forgot what "color" the Polynesian people come under. Instead of offending someone by guessing, I'll just wait for a smart person to come fill me in on what "race" the Polynesian people are. :S

[The Rusted One]

"Polynesian" basically is the race, much the same as people in Europe are Caucasian, those in Asia are "Mongoloid", or perhaps more simply, Asian, and those in Africa Negroid.

Tracey, I think, just to say something relevant, would be Caucasian, and not Polynesian; or perhaps he has a mixed descent, though that's not suggested at all...?

[Zhen Lin]

Polynesian people are the native inhabitants of the islands scattered throughout the Pacific, and parts of South East Asia.

They look like any tropical people: dark, tanned. Not as dark as Indians though.

Native Hawaiians are Polynesian. Lilo (of Lilo & Stitch) is quite certainly a native Hawaiian.

Polynesians are the stereotypical island inhabitants.

To call Mongoloids Asian would be an overgeneralisation. What about the Arabic peoples in the Middle East? The Indians in the South? The Malays in the South East? The Phillipinos (I suppose they're a mix of Hispanic and the aboriginal race) in the East?

Yes... Forgot about the Australian Aborigines... Those people are very dark - almost African in complexion. Must be the effect of living in the desert.

[Chibi Espeon412]

Um, I don't think Brock is black he's just a little tanned thats all ^-^;;;;

[Entropy]

Originally posted by Zhen Lin
The Phillipinos (I suppose they're a mix of Hispanic and the aboriginal race) in the East?

That's Filipinos. The Filipinos were conquered and 'nationalized' by a variety of people, first the Spanish, then the Japanese, then the US.